March 22, 2013

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Photo of the Week: Partnering to Protect Water Resources

March 22, 2013

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On World Water Day, TechnoServe recognizes that water is central to everything we do.

Children gather water from the Kolla River in Ethiopia’s Sidama Zone, one of Ethiopia’s best-known coffee-growing areas. Sidama is home to more than 300 wet mills that process and wash coffee beans. These wet mills produce wastewater, some of which returns to the Kolla untreated, impacting the quality and safety of the water for those downstream.

In partnership with Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee and its Brown Gold brand, TechnoServe is working with wet mill operators along the Kolla River to implement a low-cost, sustainable approach to water treatment – vetiver grass wetlands. TechnoServe and Mother Parkers hope the vetiver wetlands can become a model for the area, and eventually the entire country.